Grain drying and cooling apparatus



Jan. 9, 1951 R. w. TEEMAN ETI'AL GRAIN DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5, 1946 INVENTORS E'imjof Mm VliTeernmz.

ATTORNEY n. 1951 RWTEEMA M. 2,537,379

GRAIN DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORLS EiflcjOf /V. KOZbGIQ. Rubezzl lTeerm.

ATTORNEY 1951 R. w. TEEMAN ETAL 2,537,379

GRAIN DRYING AND COOLING APlfARATUS Filed April 5, 1946 h 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTORS FriUg' F N. Ruben W Teencazc.

BY QAMW ca.

ATTO NEY Jan. 9, 1951 R. w. TEEMAN ETAL 2,537,379

GRAIN DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS E'L'tkjof/M Kolberg' RLLbGIL- VMZGQHLQIQ ATTOR NE Y Patented Jan. 9, 1951 :PAITENT DEER ,2 537379 ommmmeasn ooonne swaamos imben. m and Friflfjof. N. Rowena-Si a Falls fsfl.Dalnmssignors, byimesne assignments, to. Kolma'n Mariufaoturingflompany a. corporation of "south .Dalkota,

fixitpplicatidmilfiril 5, 1946;S'efi25l N6. 659966 I This invention relates to driers jfor --materia1 -such as grain, and is particularlydireoted, to a "drier iforscorm wherein drying is accomplished by i-means -of a [current of-heateda airbrought: into :contact with alimovingi andnagitatedestream of oom: too-be dried. I

It is the primary objeotofhtheinvention to prorvide a novel arrangement of 'arolrtm-i and specialized air-supplying and directing :means wherein 'an intimate contact betweenair and rain is --accomplished, thereby qaroviding -a drying action of unusual efiicienoyand economy; both in operating cost :through savings in fuel and power, and in initial apparatuscosthoth of thesessavingsra sulting from the reduction in required-timeof treatment of the :g-rain.

= 1 In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan viewof aclrying plant ar- "ranged in accordance with theinvention Figure 2 is amend el'evation ottheoutletend of the drier.

; figure 3 is awsectional'viewfonihne- 3'- -'-'3 of Figure '4 is'a detail perspectivewi'ew of -the inlet end of the drum; with-thefeed'and air-exhausting unit-removed.

Figure '5 is a perspective view. of the reed and air-exhaust unit that is attached tothe inletvend of the drying drum;=and

1 Figure 6 is a perspective-view of the outlet end of th'e'drie'r assembly.

De'scribing 'th'e drawingst in detai'l, zth dryling drum ill i's'rotatablel'in a cradle striictureoomprising supporting rollers "I I 'journaled inb'earin'gs '1 2 carriedby cross members i 3 of a frame includ ing-ve'rtica'l elements 14. Y

s The drum comprises a "icylindricailfwalr '15 that is supported in 'a' po'sition inclining downwardly -from-a feed endtow'ards a-fii'scha'rgeiendx At a suitable point; asat thedischarge end gthedru'm walr ['5 isprovided with:external' spro'cket teeth 16, to provide rotation of therdru'n'iIthr-ough a chain 11 by =a power "plant I 8 mounted on-the Stop elements of the :f-rames lnternally the drum is provided with grain-elevating devices in the form of vanes l9 that extend radially inwardfromthe inner surface ofthe wall J5, and which are;pro- 'vided at their inner'margins-withfianges 2ll-extending lateralllyirom the vanes inn-the direction 'of rotatio'n ofthe drmmiforming tpooketszltfor I150 .snaced-athereatrom;eoniy isufiisientlmto.

'0 .013: brackets- 241 -attaohedvto the -.vertica1'e1ements I Q oi the framework-Eon cooperation with-the inlet lend: ofrthe drums. Thisaunit comprises a .oylindrioal casing--25 -of-stiitablezsize to project into the drum' through the opening 23;,theocasing being d supportecl by a .-frameworls 26 (that isseoured to v .the brack-ets-24.--z :Awfeed pipeefl; having :feed control naive-v 2-14;extenclsthroughwthe top of the Leasing. 25 and :beyond the. end of ithescasing into thesdrum=-| on; Qutwardly of the Steed ,pipe 21, an

exhaust: -ian 28 disposed-in- Hthe casing -2-5; for

mithdr-av ingsrair iromsthedrum; I through the -openin'g 23, of the inlettendwall.-22.;. The fan-. 28 isdri'ven through a loelt- 29 from a --motor,-2-9' .carried" in a (frame 30.

r-Atl-the outlehend of the drum sho-wn iii- Figure 6; is a stationary-"closure plate 3-|,..securedto a orosselement [32-- supported on the verticals 14-, as -by welding aim-33.1 l heloweriond ofrthe drum-10 isisupportedionth'e cross. element, 32 by a stub ;-30 shaft. 32 mounted in-a-beari-ng 3 2 cross-supports ,32? mounted ine the interior ofpthe; ii rum support the stub rsh-afttl r :andtherefore wthifi lower end of the drum; !-!l.-.--Air inlet. openings 34: are provided in the plate 3|, these being in the nature of 35 iauxiliaryoinlets, as: will :later, appear. .--These inlet openings arescreenedsas-at 3 1! to prevent escape of material being dried; :Anoutlet-openingfi :in the lowerapar-t ofithe pla'te 3! provides forescape f'materiaI afterei-tsh'as pa ssecl throu-gh the drying v40 drum. I

ducting systemnow tobedescribed. uT hissystem loom-prises .a .housingintho form an 'nsulated awe-1LBidisposedaboutthe drum; I0 herupper reach of ther housingjwall fifi isiarouateand olnsely asurrounds'theupperereachofithezdrumiwa T 'of their path of travel.

clearance, while the lower part of the housing encloses between itself and the lower reach of the drum wall a passage 31 of substantial cross sectional area. This housing and the passage extend the full length of the drum, enclosure of which is completed at the outlet end by an end housing 38. The housing 36 surrounding the inlet end of the drum is open for free entry of air to the passage 37. In the latter at its inlet end air-heating burners 38 are arranged to heat the air as it enters.

Entry of heated air to the interior of the drum at suitably arranged locations spaced longitudinally and circumferentially of the drum wall, is accomplished by means of pipes 40, radially disposed and extending inwardly from the wall IE, to which their outer ends are secured, to points that will clear a body of grain supported on the bottom of the drum. To this end the inner ends of the pipes are spaced inward from the inner margins of the vanes 19. The pipes 40 enclose passages 4| that open inwardly into the interior of the drum and outwardly through the drum wall. The inner ends ,of the pipes are screened at 42 to prevent escape of grain.

As the fan 23 withdraws air from the drum, a

stream of air is established in the drum which,

due to the masking effect of the end plate 3! at the inlet end, tends to flow in the center region of the drum. Other air is drawn into the passage 31, being there heated by the burners 39 and flowing towards the outlet end of the drum. This heated air is drawn into the drum through the pipes 40, and because of the inward spacing of the inner ends of the pipes relative to the pocket structures I9, 20, is delivered into a region through which the grain is falling freely from the upper pockets to the bottom of the drum. In this way resistance to the entry of air to the drum is maintained at a minimum. Introduction of the air to a region in which the grain is in free falling condition also produces a maximum intimate contact between air and grain. The tendency of the air to flow through the middle region of the drum, due to the above-noted masking effect of the end plate, also contributes to the effects of low resistance to air flow and intimate lface. In addition to the foregoing purpose, the

fan 28 is utilized to simultaneously withdraw dirt and chaff from the grain during drying of the latter. 7

By reason of the small clearance between the upper reaches of the drum and housing wall, see

Figure 3, most of the air enters the drum through the pipes 40 as they travel across the lower reach Therefore the greatest part of the air is introduced in streams flowing generally in countercurrent direction to the falling grain.

effected in fuel by conducting the heated air through the passage 31 in contact with the drum wall, whereby the latter is heated and assists in the drying. Thus, it will be further noted, the grain is dried by both a direct and indirect application of heat thereto.

It is desirable to provide a device for cooling the grain after it is delivered from the outlet of the drum I 0. To accomplish such cooling, a second rotary drum 43 is arranged alongside the drum l0 and the housing 36 that surrounds the same, being inclined in the opposite way to drum ID for carrying the grain in the opposite direction. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, an air-exhaust and feed unit 44 is associated with the inlet end of the drum 43. Rotation may be imparted to the drum by the chain l1, extending around a sprocket structure 45 on the drum. An elevating conveyor 45 is arranged to receive grain from the outlet opening 35 of the drier drum l0 and deliver it to a feed chute 41 that extends through the casing of the unit 44 to the interior of the drum 43. The inlet end of the drum 43 is masked by an annular plate 43 closing the space between the drum wall and the casing wall of the unit 44. The interior of the drum 43 is provided with means for elevating and dropping the grain, similar to the vanes IQ of drum l5, so it will be cooled by contact with a stream of air flowing through the drum 43 toward the outlet end of the latter under the influence of the fan 4| and through which stream of cooling air the grain is dropped upon being carried to the top of the drum during rotation of the latter.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoned claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of the character described including, an inclined rotary drum adapted to "advance grain therealong having a gra n inlet, a grain outlet and a plurality of screened spaced air inlets along its length, a casing disposed over and around the drum in spaced relation thereto except the bottom of the drum, a stationary member for partially masking the outlet end of the drum and having said gran outlet opening therein, means for preventing the ingress of air between the grain outlet end of the drum and the adjacent portion of the casing, heating elements disposed between the drum and casing, a combined air exhausting and grain feed ng unit extending into the inlet end of the drum, and a motor-driven fan disposed Within the said air exhausting and grain feeding unt for inducing a flow of air inwardly of the apparatus between the casing andthebottom of the drum from the grain inlet end of the drum, over the heating elements, through the spaced inlet openings in the drum and then outwardly through the drum in a direction toward and through the grain inlet 'end thereof, whereby to dry the grain moving through the drum toward the outlet in the masking member and to remove any chafi through the inlet end of the'druin.

y 2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein radially disposed screened pipes extend inwardly from the wall of the drum at each of the air openings therethrough so as to provide enclosed passages extending inwardly from the exterior of the drum wall.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein there are a plurality of spaced longitu- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Smith Aug. 23, 1881 Cadwell Jan. 5, 1886 Cummer Aug. 27, 1895 Axtell July 25, 1899 Verrell Apr. 28, 1903 Adt Feb. 12, 1918 Turnbull Dec. 22, 1942 

